Here’s a report from one of our Supertrax riders, Harold McAdam who purchased his own Ski-Doo Renegade 1200 this year:

Put 3000 miles on my Renegade. The R-motion rear suspension was flawless even with Adrenaline shocks – very compliant over any terrain. Could bottom the sled but you deserved it.

Replaced the seat with the one-inch higher XRS seat. It matched the RUSH height and was far more comfortable. Also did not have that little back storage section I typically sat on (Harold is over 6-ft. tall).

Sled was very warm. Good body protection from the windshield and cowling. Fuel economy rivaled the 800 E-TEC’s at speed giving great range, typically in the 125-mile area.

Storage capability is great, even had the 2-up seat capability. Front end was the weakest point. Sled definitely pushed somewhat in the corners with the weight, and the adrenaline shocks required bumping up the springs and compression damping which compromised the ride somewhat.

Used a Shaper bar as the main carbide and installed a second carbide per ski and this is essential. Studded the track and this is also essential.

Motor was a low-end freight train. Absolutely in it’s element at 60-70 miles per hour. New clutch is a big improvement in terms of smoothness, but still a jerky slow speed set-up that is not friendly to a new or inexperienced rider. Belt wear was unbelievably good. Virtually didn’t have to adjust the secondary.

I installed Ski-Doo’s heat shroud on the secondary and it works so well I don’t understand why the company wouldn’t install it as standard on this model. Holds a spare belt and commonly used tools and improves belt life.

My personal reflection on the last couple of years is that for the average consumer, a 128 to 137-inch coupled suspension serves the need of a flatland trail rider best.

The 1.25-inch lug seems to be the norm as well, although, I think it would also be interesting to see some 1.35 and 1.5-inch alternatives to compare.

At Supertrax we’ve always been big fans of the smooth riding GSX series from Ski-Doo.

We like the adjustability its air suspension offers on long rides and the fact you can custom-tailor its ride results to different tastes and even to the varying kinds of snow conditions you’re riding over, all on-the-fly.

We were a bit surprised last month when we got to see Ski-Doo’s 2014 sleds and learned they had dumped the old SC-5-based air suspension and gone with the newer rising rate rMotion back end used in tandem with the on-board air pump and air shocks.

We honestly thought it might be a case of overkill since the last thing the GSX needed was any ride improvement. We were wrong.

What’s cool about the 2014 GSX SE line-up is you can order this luxury ride with different engines according to how you like to ride and what you require in an all-around sled.

Both the 600 and 800R E-TECs are available along with the 1200 4-TEC triple so you can go with a lighter, more agile feel in the 137-inch XR platform or you can get the awesome torque and mid-range of the heavier 4-stroke.

Another big change to the GSX line is the switch to the new XS chassis for the 120-inch GSX LE.

Along with better ergonomics and wind protection than the XP based GSX, you can now opt for the new 900ACE 4-stroke triple or the 1200 4-stroke or the 600 E-TEC 2-stroke twin.

The LE has also moved up to rMotion making it as close to an MX-Z as possible, albeit with a more softly damped combo of Motion Control shocks and gassers.

However, no fear of ever bottoming now. Features like a really nice tunnel bag, electric start (Oh, wait! Pretty much all Ski-Doo’s have electric start this year) and a bigger windshield come standard.

What can we say? Riding these sleds is so close to riding an MX-Z you can barely tell the difference.

Ride quality has taken a giant leap forward, especially with the air-suspended SE, and the GSX series offers some of the most versatile sleds you can buy.

There’s simply no compromise with the GSX. You can get everything you want right here, regardless of what kind of rider you are.

One of the reasons our expectations for fan coolers has been fairly low is due to the less than nosebleed velocities a 60-hp mill can produce.

Here’s the good news: Depending on how you equip your new Indy 550 (Adventure, Voyager, Indy LXT or Indy121) there’s as much as 50 pounds less weight carried.

There’s almost 30 pounds shaved from an IQ to a 121 Pro-Ride and it comes from the lightweight but much stronger cast bulkhead.

There are few rivets on the new Pro Ride chassis and there’s been an elimination of tons of stampings, braces and gussets from the use of a very sturdy clamshell bulkhead.

Obviously the weight savings are not realized in the rear of the Pro Ride 550. The skid and the tunnel appear nearly identical to the IQ 550. Don’t forget, Polaris uses its proprietary bonding system when assembling and this saves significant weight as well.

This familiar 60-horse twin has been around the Polaris parts book since the mid-1990’s. It’s a strong fan cooler but it wasn’t until it was inserted in the Pro-Ride that it impressed our pilots this much.

Frankly, the 121-inch tracked Indy 550 is a little rocket. From first squeeze the sled launches with authority shifting hard up to an indicated 75-mph top end.

The sled feels like a feather and you can throw it into turns with abandon knowing the front end will bite without a hint of understeer.

In bumps there’s no denying this chassis is happy with its light engine. The CVT Tech/PowerBloc primary is an uber-simple clutch that works exceptionally well here.

In fact, backshifts were really strong; the Invance secondary followed engine RPM in an almost telepathic way.

The new 550 uses a slightly laid back handlepole in comparison to its siblings. This more laid-back handlebar location is beneficial in the Voyageur and the Adventure models targeted at the utility, fur-hat crowd.

Ride quality is decent for this price range understanding those are pretty basic gas cell shocks all around. Again the sled’s inherent lightness gives a noticeably “athletic” feel to the 550.

Here’s the deal. Ski-Doo literally owns the utility snowmobile market with sales greater than all its competitors combined.

This assault (cough) into Ski-Doo’s turf with the new Indy Voyager and the Adventure along with the Indy LXT is going to be successful – guaranteed.

By just getting into this segment with credible product, Polaris will capture sales by being the alternative.

We think Polaris won’t be able to build enough 550’s this season for that reason alone.

If you’ve voted or checked our poll results on this website, you likely have a pretty clear idea of which all-new sleds will be the biggest sellers next year.

Despite what the poll is telling us, since we’re gamblers at heart, we have a few contrary opinions.

The poll says (think of this as “survey says” from Family Feud) the new Yamaha Vipers will be the biggest sales success next year.

Yes, we would have to agree here and 44-percent think this to be true. We don’t think the numbers will be that high compared to say the number two finisher, though.

Poll says Arctic Cat’s new El-Tigre 6000 with its DSI 2-stroke comes in second with 26-percent. This is a pretty substantial prediction in that the El Tigre is only offered in one version, a 129-inch platform with the optimum suspension package at probably a fairly heavy cost.

Looking at the Yamaha you see three different track lengths, two completely different suspensions and two different model categories.

Also, you have to realize, tempering this, the 4-stroke market has not historically been as big a market as the 2-stroke. These things all come into play.

When you look at the bottom rung of the choices, the Polaris Indy 800, offered in only one model variation captures 15-percent as does the new Ski-Doo ACE 900 in all its variations. This is significant but we think it’s inaccurate.

We think the ACE will score second behind the Viper line – perhaps because of the multiplicity of many different models with the new engine. This would place the Indy and the El-Tigre closer together but with a higher percentage for both.

Despite the poll results, here’s where we predict the order will go with sales of new models:

1. Yamaha Viper (all): 33-percent
2. Ski-Doo ACE 900 (all): 26-percent
3. Arctic Cat El Tigre 6000: 21-percent
4. Polaris Indy 800: 20-percent

If you haven’t voted yet, there’s still a chance to do it. Click on and vote now.